AfterDawn: News

Xbox Live reaches 6 million users

Microsoft's Xbox Live gaming service has reached its milestone of 6 million members, months ahead of expectations. At E3 last year, Microsoft had set a target to double its Xbox Live member count (three million) to six million by June 2007. After hitting 6 million members, Microsoft has released some Xbox Live statistics.

Since the service launched in 2002, gamers have added up more than 2.3 billion hours playing games on Xbox Live, and now, each day, members exchange over 2,000,000 voice and text messages. Halo 2 is still the most popular game on the service to date, with Gears of War coming in second and Xbox Live Arcade title Hexic HD in third place.



However, even though Xbox Live has reached 6 million members, Microsoft did not announce how many of these are Gold members (subscription) and how many are Silver members (Free Service) - or at least how many were even temporarily paying for the premium service.

Source:
GamesIndustry.biz

Written by: James Delahunty @ 6 Mar 2007 11:03

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• 13 comments

• BobbyBlu

  Quote:However, even though Xbox Live has reached 6 million members, Microsoft did not announce how many of these are Gold members (subscription) and how many are Silver members (Free Service) - or at least how many were even temporarily paying for the premium service.No Microsoft don't hide numbers do they?....I wonder how many of these are XBOX vs 360.This is dripping with a PR spin..lol

  6.3.2007 11:38 #1

• themind

  yeah, i think im one of the 6 mill. but with me i dont oun a game for the 360. I use it for streeming video and audio from my pc and HD DVD. Its funny, when i turn on my 360 without the ethernet conected it still tells me that i am loged onto the live network. HD DVD rocks and its hard to watch dvd now. wish target would have more hd dvds in stock.

  6.3.2007 12:46 #2

• johnblaze

  Originally posted by themind:yeah, i think im one of the 6 mill. but with me i dont oun a game for the 360. I use it for streeming video and audio from my pc and HD DVD. Its funny, when i turn on my 360 without the ethernet conected it still tells me that i am loged onto the live network. HD DVD rocks and its hard to watch dvd now. wish target would have more hd dvds in stock.Are you sure it's not just telling you you've signed into your profile? You can be signed into your profile and not be on Live. If I disconnect my ethernet, I get a popup telling me I was disconnected from Live.
  
  Originally posted by BobbyBlu:No Microsoft don't hide numbers do they?....I wonder how many of these are XBOX vs 360.This is dripping with a PR spin..lol Why would that matter? This was a statement about Live, not the 360.

  6.3.2007 13:39 #3

• BobbyBlu

  Quote:Why would that matter? This was a statement about Live, not the 360.Same network....

  6.3.2007 14:40 #4

• johnblaze

  I know it's the same network, I'm just curious why it matters how many are xbox vs 360.

  6.3.2007 15:01 #5

• ZippyDSM

  It would show people would rather have the cheaper more solid Xbox over the more costly and less stable 360,it also dose not say how many of them are paying premiums to me it would seem 30-60% would be Xbox and maybe if MS is lucky 30-40% gold members.
  
  In any case it shows Live has grown and become something more than a Online service for a small populace of gamers....

  6.3.2007 21:01 #6

• johnblaze

  I really don't think it matters how many are 360 vs. Original Xbox, since we can find out how many consoles have been sold in other ways, but according to IGN, this announcement was only about the 360:
  
  Microsoft today announced that more than 6 million Xbox 360 owners are connected to Xbox Live
  
  Quote:March 6, 2007 - With an eye on Sony's keynote speech tomorrow, Microsoft today announced that more than 6 million Xbox 360 owners are connected to Xbox Live, four months ahead of the company's objectives. Microsoft, however, didn't reveal the breakdown of Gold tier (paid subscribers) versus Silver tier (free) members.
  http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/770/770582p1.html

  7.3.2007 04:22 #7

• navsav

  This makes me wonder if MS ever plans to try and keep people off of live who mod their 360 o play bruned games. I mean it does make sense that if you want to mod your xbox to play free games then MS is getting nothing for games being sold so they might as well make some money off of you playing live and purchasing the subscription.

  7.3.2007 04:42 #8

• ZippyDSM

  Quote:I really don't think it matters how many are 360 vs. Original Xbox, since we can find out how many consoles have been sold in other ways, but according to IGN, this announcement was only about the 360:
  So theres no difference in the Xbox and 360 doh! (sorry had to :P)
  
  
  Quote:Microsoft today announced that more than 6 million Xbox 360 owners are connected to Xbox Live
  
  March 6, 2007 - With an eye on Sony's keynote speech tomorrow, Microsoft today announced that more than 6 million Xbox 360 owners are connected to Xbox Live, four months ahead of the company's objectives. Microsoft, however, didn't reveal the breakdown of Gold tier (paid subscribers) versus Silver tier (free) members.
  its easy for ill informed sites to say that their are 6 million 360users when MS said there are 6 million Live users...so...it leaves enough doubt for me to wonder.
  ============
  Anyway I have no doubt theres 6 million live users world wide and maybe even 6milloin or more 360 consoles WORLD WIDE.
  
  I just would like to see more detailed details before I would believe anythign MS or Sony says...
  

  
  
  FIGHT THE M.A.F.I.A.A.
  Sony has declared war on importers the consumer will be next with CD's,Videos/Games not far behind that....boycott SONY!
  http://www.afterdawn.com/news/archive/8062.cfm

  7.3.2007 06:28 #9

• johnblaze

  Ok, well, I guess you've made up your mind as to what you'd like to believe, but IGN is actually at the show, so while it is possible that they misquoted or misheard, it's unlikely, also, is it that hard to believe that there are that many users on Live with a 360? There are about 10.5 million 360 owners worldwide, so is it that unlikely that a little more than half plugged into the internet and setup at least a free silver account?

  7.3.2007 06:55 #10

• ZippyDSM

  Originally posted by johnblaze:Ok, well, I guess you've made up your mind as to what you'd like to believe, but IGN is actually at the show, so while it is possible that they misquoted or misheard, it's unlikely, also, is it that hard to believe that there are that many users on Live with a 360? There are about 10.5 million 360 owners worldwide, so is it that unlikely that a little more than half plugged into the internet and setup at least a free silver account?IGN is just quoting what MS said and MS gave no more information than 6 million live users.
  
  What I am saying is I would like more detail in it,and MS has done a good job on LIVE,I just doubt the numbers a bit because MS dose like good PR spinning.
  
  In any case MS is slowly getting the 360 off the ground when the new reviviosn comes out there will be little left for me to harp them on :P
  

  
  
  FIGHT THE M.A.F.I.A.A.
  Sony has declared war on importers the consumer will be next with CD's,Videos/Games not far behind that....boycott SONY!
  http://www.afterdawn.com/news/archive/8062.cfm

  7.3.2007 11:03 #11

• scorpNZ

  >Goldmembers???(Character on Austin powers movie)< someone at MS has a sense of humour...lol...
  
  Nah it's 6-mill combined if it was only 360 ms would be showing off,it's great to see Halo 2 is still the most popular game it's by far my most fav game to date

  7.3.2007 20:05 #12

• ZippyDSM

  Originally posted by scorpNZ:>Goldmembers???(Character on Austin powers movie)< someone at MS has a sense of humour...lol...
  
  Nah it's 6-mill combined if it was only 360 ms would be showing off,it's great to see Halo 2 is still the most popular game it's by far my most fav game to dateTrue,in any case their doing "ok"
  
  Altho I think Unreal Champoinship "plays" better Halo is a A class game stuck with B class controls,YC is a B- class game stuck with B+ controls 0-o
  time splinters still have full button mapping last time I checked....oy C class games with A class control the world hates me 0-o

  7.3.2007 20:12 #13